Claes Jacobsz. van der Heck (Alkmaar c. 1578-1652)

Nicolaes van der Heck specialized in views of abbeys and castles, of which several pair of views are known and it is likely that a pendant showing the castle of Egmond was painted to accompany the present lot.
Drs. S. de Vries suggests that van der Heck's prototype was probably the view by Gilles de Saens in the Townhall, Zottegem, as the site was a ruin, following the sack by the Spaniards in 1575 (see De zestiende- en zeventiende-eeuwse schilderijen van het Stedelijk Museum Alkmaar, Zwolle, 1997, pp. 153-4).